There are 13 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Traxin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The oil cooler/oil housing leaks oil on every single one of these vehicles, spanning many years, due to its plastic housing, mounted up against a hot engine. The cost of repair is between $2000-3000 at a dealership.
Car smoking under the hood not even a month after getting repairs done to it for the same issue of coolant loss. Replaced engine oil cooler, coolant housing, and turbo. Car started smoking again less than a month later and mechanic baffled at what it may be this time for there is no warning lights illuminated to point to the problem. The vehicle has had its regular maintenance on time.
2018 chevy trax turbo messing up loss of power and making noise
Car filled with smoke and smell. Needed to replace the blower motor l, resistor, and pig tail or it would have killed my child.
The indicator for the vehicle overheating illuminated as I checked. I noticed that the engine coolant was low so I brought a bottle to top it off however, I noticed once parking in front of my home that I had a puddle of the fluid on the ground.
Chevrolet had a recall (N232395330) for 2018 Trax models due to a problem with the turbocharger. For whatever reason, Chevrolet did not include all 2018 Trax models, and omitted ours. The turbocharger on ours failed, causing an oil problem and substantial damage to the engine (and, possibly, other parts), with an estimated $12,500 cost to repair. We have tried to work with both Chevrolet (case number X-XXX) and a local dealership (Tim Lally Chevrolet in Warrensville Heights, Ohio). Both are denying any liability for the problem. However, if Chevrolet had properly included all 2018 Trax models, and provided us with knowledge of the problem with the turbocharger, it would have been repaired without the substantial damage caused by Chevrolet's under reporting of the affected vehicles. The day of the problem, the Trax lost most power and did not indicate any oil issue. How does one get Chevrolet held responsible for the damage done because they under reported the affected vehicles? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was no oil in the engine, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, she noticed a leak on the ground underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cooling system was leaking. The dealer determined that the cooling system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 87,046.
Engine runs roughly. Hardly any pick up present during acceleration.
Car was overheating and the temperature light never came on. There is no dashboard temperature gauge. I first noticed my driver side AC was blowing hot. I was told it needed Freon it was refilled but kept happening. It wasn’t until I was driving and my car said “engine overheating going into idle” that I pulled over and discovered I was out of coolant, which was just topped off a few days before. I ended up having to replace the entire cooling system, radiator, hoses, turbo hoses, fan, and was told I needed to replace the header. I replaced all that and then the turbo went out and a piston snapped off inside the engine and had to replace the entire engine. I feel like this could have all been prevented had there been a dashboard temperature gauge or had the temperature light come on sooner. I had no clue the car was running hot beyond my AC blowing hot and by then it was too late.
Having engin light come on.. Emissions issues. Already got a letter about a future recall. Don't want to pay out of pocket. Rough starting and weird noise. Either engin or exhaust issue. I know I'm not the only person.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that abnormal sounds were coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the failure originally occurred three years ago however, the failure had become persistent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed turbo charger failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had previously received unknown manufacturer communication documentation which advised of a potential turbo charger failure with the vehicle. The contact was informed that parts to complete the repair were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
IN FEBRUARY ON ZERO DEGREE DAY MY 2018 TRAX HAD BLUE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE AND ALMOST STALLED CAR RUNNING. I SAW ANOTHER TRAX THAT SAME DAY WITH BLUE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE. WHEN I WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY WERE RETURNING SOME ONE ELSES TRAX AND IT HAD BLUE SMOKE COMING OUT OF IT. THE TRAX HAS A 1.4 TURBO ENGINE AND GM SEEMS TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE PCV SYSTEM ON THIS ENGINE. GM NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS. YOU CAN LOOK ON YOUTUBE AND THE MECHANICS THERE ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIPS AND GM SEEM TO NOT HAVE ANY INTEREST IN CORRECTING THIS PROBLEM. THE 1.4 TURBO IS PUT IN MANY GM CARS. I WOULD THINK IF NOTHING ELSE THIS SHOULD BE A POLLUTION CONTROL RECALL.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026